Installing Win 7 to clean HDD

josbd

Posts: 198   +0
Hey all

I recently bought a used pc in order to use it with the tv, to download, and to act as a storage unit for filmage etc.

It is a decent spec for such duties (fast dual processor, 4 gig ram and.. a wiped 500 gb hdd) I bought it from ebay from a company which buys up company pcs etc etc. Cost me £20 which is a bargain..

Anyway, it only has a vga connector on the mobo. So I found the requisite lead, hooked up pc and monitor (Samsung SMS27A550H 2 yrs old, and has HD and VGA connectors) Switched on pc... lights on whir click purr etc.. screen remained defiantly dark. Changed to new lead. Same prob. Attempted attaching same to smart tv......... not a thing.

My questions (apologise for stupidity etc... old age has arrived heheh): How might I install bleddy Windoze when I cannot see what is going on..... Am not bothered as to whether the VGA mobo connector is dead in the long run, as I have a few graphics cards hanging around somewhere but obv in order to use those I need to install drivers....

I am pretty certain that the pc is otherwise fine and dandy.. and I really do not recall coming across this problem before, but as I say........ age..

If anyone should be decent enough to help me, I will be immensely grateful!

Thank you in advance

Jo
 
Check if there is a 'good' 3v cell to power the BIOS installed, maybe it was taken out to blank the old settings.
I would start with the BIOS settings, find out what the video settings are.
Reboot PC and try the various 'access' keys to get into the BIOS. could be 'delete' or F12, or search for that info for your motherboard's make/ type.
Without a separate graphic card installed, the pc should default to VGA and integrated graphics chip, but some BIOS's have to be set to VGA option by the user.
At boot you should see the BIOS brand, Amibios or Phoenix etc.
 
Thank you. I much appreciate your reply, and advice. I would try these suggestions, but unfortunately the pc will not boot screen up, so I cannot see what is going on. I am sure I am missing something basic,
 
The bios is a very basic OS that's on a chip on the motherboard. It's job is to enable Windows to boot. (Apologies for this poor explanation) If nothing is coming up on the screen you cannot proceed. The motherboard may well be damaged and replacing it will be difficult for you. Forget Windows for the moment because you seem to have a serious hardware issue.
 
You don't need to install any graphics card drivers in order to see the motherboard startup screen or BIOS. Any drivers you install in Windows do not kick in until Windows starts anyway. Also, Windows also contains basic VGA drivers to enable you to get started when you first install Windows.

You say you have spare graphics cards. Have you tried any of them? Do you have access to a known good power supply to test with?
 
Thank you both.

Perfectly good explanation, bazz!

I do know that one of the graphics cards is working perfectly well, so I shall give that a whirl.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to give thoughtful, clear answers. Much appreciated!


 
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